Doctor cleaning device



SeP- 20, 1932- J. E. woDBURY- 19878564 DOCTOR CLEANING DEVICE v Filed March 27, 1951 3 sheets-sheet l i NX fivre um Sept. 20, 1932. J. E. wooDBURY DOCTOR CLEANING DEVICE FiledMarch 27, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wwy.

E70/721 E W www Sept. 20, 1932.

J. E. WOODBURY DOCTOR CLEANING DEVICE Filed March 27, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Kwmwl @www Patented Sept.. i932 an areas J'OIN E. WOODBURY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS DOCTOR CLEANER@- DEVICE Applcationrled March 27, 1931. `Serial N'o. 525,824.

This invention relates` to a doctor cleaning device for use in inking intaglio plates or dies for line printing. Y

The principal objects of the invention are to provide simple means for cleaning both sides of the d ctor while in substantiallyV horizontal position over the printing' plate, having accessible adjustments; to provide' means without complicated linkagesv for cleanino the doctor after each inlin u b n n K operation so `that the ink is not only cleaned from the operative side of the doctor but a body of ink will not be Vleft onthe opposite side of the doctor at the edge of the blade; to provide .means, readilyT accessible for cleaning when the machine is not running, for engaging thel two surfaces of the doctor and moving said engaging means backwardly7V so that the twoV surfaces will be cleaned at the same time, and to provide means for raising the upper doctor cleaning blade combined with means for raising the doctor blade to allow for the back stroke without allowingthe doctor blade to come intov Contact with either of the cleaning blades atthattime, this also involves the provision of means for backing up the doctor blade while it is being cleaned on the surface which collects theV ink from the printing plate. Y v

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which l Fig. V.l is a side view of a portion of an intaglio printing plate machine showing in full lines the position of the cleaning means while it is operating to clean the doctor and showing in dotted lines the cleaning means retracted fully; 1

Fig. 2 is anv end view of the same `as indicated `the arrow 2 in Fig. l; Y

Fig. Sgisasectiona-l view on the line f3-.3 of Fig. l; Y

tion of thel vvario-us indentations ofthe Fig. 4 is a horizontalsectional view on theV line --lof Fig?) and'on enlarged scale;

t Y Figo` is'an end View of thedoctor operatmgcain; Y

Fig. 6 is a view similar to'Fig. l showingl the parts in the same position and illustrating the relationship between the plate and the doctor kblade at this time; l v

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the posiparts while the plateis being inked;Y f Y Fig. 8 is a view of the doctor cleaning parts and showing the way of operating the upper doctor cleaning blade, and

9 is a similar kside View showing the motion of the doctorcleaning blade in dotted lines after the cleaning of the plate is com-f pleted. i

The Vinvention is shown Vas applied to a machine for printing from an intaglio platev 10. yl`his plate is fixed to a table l1 which reciprocates, as the arrows indicate. in the several figures7 horizontally. The means/for operating this plate is not shown as the vinvention is intended toapply to practically all types of machines in which the table for The doctor blade 16 is mounted on anoscily lating shaft l? and the position which it occupies when cleaning the 4plate is indicated in full lines in Fig.-9,5theplate'l0 passing under it and thesurplusinlt lbeing cleaned off by the doctor blade7 leaving the'inlrin Y platefor printing. VAfter this. plate passesby the doctor Vio y, justable stop blade, the blade is lifted to the Vdotted line position in this figure and also in 8'.

The mechanism for operatingthis doctor blade comprises a shaft 2O operated, by means not shown, .in synchronism with the press. On that shaft is aV cam 21 which is provided with cam plates 22 provided withslots and spring is employed to hold it clown on y,the

plate with yielding pressure, so that it will act effectively to clean' therplate. Ari-.ade

19 is on thev shaft 17 torliinit the' pressure with which the'spring '3Q an forcethe blade Y against theplate.

y is a gear 31-ineshing with a gear v32 ena shaftV 33. The shaft 2O is op verated from the press in synchronisin witl the motion of the table 11; The connections On a shaft 20 therefor are not shown herein, as any desired system of gearing can be used, and in ordi-V nary 'types the shaft" is ar'shaft whichal-y ready exists in the press orfit can be geared tofsonie such shaft in simple manner to secure this Aresult in proper timing'.

.On the shaft 33 isa cani 34 which operates a cam roll, 3 5 on a lever 36. v This lever is provided with an adjusting screwj`37 whichY controls lthe motion of the lever of a bellcrank 38,V anda spring 39 keeps one arm of this bellcrankagainst this screw. The other arin ofthe lei/*er 38, which is pivoted on a rod 40, engagesa roll 441 on`V an arnfi 42 pivoted on a shaft A43 when these -parts are brought up 'tothis pointlA This shaft carries theupper doctor cleaning blade 44.V The risingiof the roll35 causes a depression of the froll v41` and tlieraising of the blade'44, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. This shaft' 43 is mounted on. brackets 46 which carryan ink receptacle 47- which also reciprocates, ofcourse. AThis ink receptacle Y also carriesfixed theretothe lower cleaning 'CCP which is'n provided with an eccentric stnd 51A Yoperatingv av link 52 piyotedto .anfa'rin 53, fixed 'to an' oscillatable shaft 54.; motion ofthe stud 51 therefore operates this shaft 54. 'On

blader/18.Y The motionof thislower Ycleaning blade is exactly horizontal, and its upper sur- Vfaceis in a position to cleanV the doctor blade, Y fwhennthat in eractly'horizontal position shown in 6. By horizontawl mean Y parallel with th'e'path ofinotion. This Vpath of course mightbe inclined or evenrvertical. The gear 31 also meshes witha gear 50 this shaft 54 isiixed aifm 55 which is proprovided forthe arm 27v V'upper cleaner blade vided vwtih a pin 56 that enters a notch in a head 57. This head 57 is Xed on the doctor blade shaft 17. Obviously the vibration of the shaft 54 vibrates the doctor blade longitudinally as is usual. It may be stated here that the adjusting screw 19 which controls the pressure between the doctor blade and the plate is mounted on the frame. T he head 57 has'surfaces on its arm 27 adapted to bel engaged by this stud and also the stud 28 and the spring 30.

In operation, the plate in its forward or printing position, shown in Fig. 1, remains katrest for alargeportion of a cycle of operations the `printis being made. This may be as much as 135o out of 360". Before the plate reaches this forward position the doctor rises slightly above the normal hori- Zontal position vby y'tl e action of the cani .21 and the upper doctor cleaner blade 44 is lifted above its iiorinalposition, as shown in dotted lines inifig. 8, in the manner that has been described. Thisaction makes possible theprogress forward of the lower blade 48 of the cleaner unit without'interfering withv the doctor. This lower blade,'of course', is

that thedoctor blade assumes a horizontal position in position to contact with thedoctoi cleaner-.blade 48.v the same time the cani 34 moves the lever 38 upwardly so that the i y n 44 comes into Contact with the top of .thedoctor blade. This is shown in Fig. 6. Y

At the end of the 135 of rest in Fig.` 1 position, the plate goes back, into the position shown in Fig. Tat the extreme rear. It passes under the ink rollerboth going back and coming forward. Y Y stroke, when the platelreachesthe edge of the doctor blade, this blade is lowered against the plate as indicated in Fig. 9 and scrapes the surplus inl: off.. Asv the plate reaches a pointyV vwhere the doctor is at the. rear end'of it, the doctor is slowly raised, first to horizontal position, and then. above it to clear the blade 48 as'st-ated.

The ink is wiped from the doctor at-eachV Vcycle by the lower and upper blades and runs down the surface of the blade 4Sinto the ink .receptacle;'47. This ink, of course, is` salvaged.

This perfectly?simple,v free from complicated linlr motions, the cleaner unit is absolutelyV acyces'sible'for being cleanedwhile the `machine is'not running and it can be cleaned every night or every weelrend. AThe doctor On the forward machine has many advantages. it is means for moving the doctor to a horizontal position and means relatively movable along the doctor horizontally on both sides thereof Vfor cleaning the inlrv therefrom.

u A2. In an intaglio printing press, the combination With meansfor holding a printing` plate with its printing side up and reciproeating it horizontally, of an inlring roll in position to apply ink to the face of the plate, a doctor for cleaning the surplus ink olf the die and means movable With the plate for removing the ink from the surfaces of the doctor as the plate moves baclr from printing position. Y

3. In an inlring device7 the combination With means for inlring a printing plate lo- Y cated With its engraved side up, of a doctor in position for removing the surplus inl; from the plate and means for engaging both the upper and lower surfaces of the doctor and removing'l the ink therefrom as the plate moves bacln u 4. In an inlring device, the combination With means for inlring a printing plate located with its engraved side up, of a doctor in posi ion for removing` the surplus inlr from the plate and means for engao'ing the rear surface of the doctor and removing the ink therefrom as the plate moves baclr. Y

5. ln an inlring device, the combination With a doctor adapted to remove the inl; from a printing plate, and means for moving the doctor to a horizontal position, of a scraper blade,vmeans for moving the scraper blade downwardly to a point to engage the upper surface of the doctor, and means for then moving the scraping blade along the doctor toward the edge thereof.

6. The combination with a reciprocating table for holding an engraved printing die or plate with its face up and means 'for inlring the upper surface ofthe printing plate, of a doctor, means for turning the doctor into contact with the plate for removing the sur` plus inlr, means for raising the doctor out of contact with the plate after the printing operation, means for turning the doctor, a Scraper blade over the doctor for removing the inl; from the doctor, means for moving said scraper blade to bring it into Contact with the doctor, and means for moving the scraper along the surface vof the doctor to scrapethe ink on the upper surface thereof.

pathv to bring away from the doctor to allovv the doctor to pass under it.

7. rlrhe combination With` a reciprocating, table for holding an engraved printing die or plate With its face up and means for inhingy the upper surface. of the printing plate, of, a doctor, a'shafton Vyvhich said doctor is fixed, means for turning said shaft slightly 4 to bringthe doctor into Contact With the plate lfor removing the surplus inlnmeans for Vraising the doctor outof contact With the plate after the printingk operation, means for turn-N ing the shaft to a position in Which the doctor extends horizontally, a scraper blade over the doctor for removing the ink from the doctor, means for moving said scraper blade Sof0 bring it into contact With the doctor and means for moving the scraper along the surface of the doctor to scrape the ink oif the upper surface thereof;

8. rlhe combination With a reciprocating table vfor holding an engraved printing die or plate with its face up and means for inl;- ing the upper surface of the printing plate, of a doctor, means for turning the doctor into contactvvith the plate for removing the surplus inlr, means for raising the doctor out of contact With the plate after the printing operation, means for turning the doctor, a scraper blade over the doctor for removing theY ink from the doctor, means for moving said scraper blade to bring it into contact With the doctor, means for moving the scraper along the surface of the doctor to scrape the ink off the upper surface thereof, and a second blade under the doctor always in registration with the first named scraping blade to back up the doctor atthat point and prevent ink from remaining on the under Yside of the doctor. i

9. The combination With a doctor for scraping the surplus inl; from the face ofan intaglio printing plate or die, a shaft on Which the doctor is fixed, means for vibrating said shaft in an axial direction constantly While it is in operation for removing the ink from he platemeans for turning the shaft to bring the doctor into a horizontal position, a scraper blade for cleaning the ink from the upper surface of the doctor, a frame on Which the scraper blade iscarried, said frame being piv- Y and means for raising saidv oted on an axis, u frame With the scraper blade in an arcuate the edge of the scraper blade l0. ln an intaglio plate a plane andcarryingthe printing plate, of a doctor blade for the printingplate and mea-ns for scraping the torblade connected"V exactly With it.

l1. Inan intaglio plate printing machine, the combination With a table reciprocable in a plane and carryingthe printing'plate,

with said table to move of a doctor blade for the printing plate and opposite surfaces of the doc- *125.

means forseraping the lower surface of the i l doctor blade connected with said table to move l exactly Withit,mes1.ns for swinging the doc-tor blde through a slight angle to an inclined n position over theA plate to remove the surplus inl; therefromand then to a horizontal position over the cleaning` blade andto an up- Wa-rdlyinolined position to allow the lower olening blade to come under it. y In testimony whereof l have hereunto aixed my signature, A

JOHN E. WOODBURY. 

